Overkirk (Ouderkerk aan de Amstel)

Summary

Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is largely a part of the municipality of Ouder-Amstel, and lies about 9 km south of Amsterdam. A small part of the town lies in the municipality of Amstelveen.

Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel

The “spacious field assigned them to bury their dead, full of sepulchers with Hebraic inscriptions” refers to the The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel which is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands. It was purchased for use as a burying ground by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in 1614 and is located in the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, in the countryside near Amsterdam. See comments on the diary entry.